Write a c program to represent a polynomial as linked list and write functions for polynimial addition?

Answer 1

To represent a polynomial using a linked list in C, define a node structure containing the coefficient and exponent. You can create a function to insert terms into the linked list and another function to perform polynomial addition by traversing both lists, combining like terms. Here’s a brief outline of the code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

typedef struct Node {
    int coeff;
    int exp;
    struct Node* next;
} Node;

// Function to add two polynomials represented as linked lists
Node* addPolynomials(Node* poly1, Node* poly2) {
    Node* result = NULL; // Resultant polynomial
    Node** lastPtrRef = &result; // Pointer to the last node

    while (poly1 != NULL && poly2 != NULL) {
        Node* newNode = (Node*)malloc(sizeof(Node));
        if (poly1->exp > poly2->exp) {
            newNode->coeff = poly1->coeff;
            newNode->exp = poly1->exp;
            poly1 = poly1->next;
        } else if (poly1->exp < poly2->exp) {
            newNode->coeff = poly2->coeff;
            newNode->exp = poly2->exp;
            poly2 = poly2->next;
        } else { // Same exponent
            newNode->coeff = poly1->coeff + poly2->coeff;
            newNode->exp = poly1->exp;
            poly1 = poly1->next;
            poly2 = poly2->next;
        }
        newNode->next = NULL;
        *lastPtrRef = newNode;
        lastPtrRef = &newNode->next;
    }
    while (poly1 != NULL) {
        *lastPtrRef = poly1;
        break;
    }
    while (poly2 != NULL) {
        *lastPtrRef = poly2;
        break;
    }

    return result;
}

This code initializes a linked list for polynomial representation and provides functionality for adding two polynomials.